Ch.8383. The Fact That I Like Someone Could Actually Be Hurtful to That Person

To be honest, it felt good to know they liked me.

That was natural. Who wouldn’t be pleased when beautiful, capable, and powerful women like them showed interest in me?

“The fact that I like someone could hurt that person.”

Such sayings exist, but they certainly don’t apply to these women.

‘Why they like me… I probably don’t need to think about that.’

Honestly, considering everything I’ve done so far, there’s no reason they wouldn’t view me favorably.

I’ve done all sorts of things that would take too long to explain, and I’ve helped them tremendously.

‘I wonder if it’s okay to have charmed such important characters like this…’

Well, if they like me… it would be awkward to push them away by saying things like “that’s impossible” or “I’m not the person you think I am.”

At this point, denying myself would only be belittling them.

So I planned to accept it.

Even if I couldn’t immediately reciprocate their feelings, I intended to embrace them without denial.

That was my plan, until…

[Favorability: 59/100]

[Favorability: 18/100]

When you see it explicitly displayed as numbers like this, it feels quite different.

I even planned to reveal this since I discovered it unintentionally, and hiding it would make me feel guilty…

“Ludion. Stop stalling and tell us what’s going on.”

“I was getting tired of just reacting. Do as Celia says.”

I was lacking courage and wasted time with unnecessary actions.

But that’s over now. After they said that, I had no choice but to reveal everything.

After pondering how to explain this… I pointed at Celia and Alkine in turn and said:

“59. 18.”

Flinch.

I could feel both of them trembling.

After hearing my words, they briefly stared into space, then looked at each other.

They probably confirmed their favorability ratings and had a “You too? Me too!” moment.

Finally, both of their gazes fixed on me.

Celia spoke first.

“Don’t tell me you can see that too?”

“Wait, Celia. Did I hear wrong? I think Ludion just said you’re at 59…”

“Be quiet for a moment, Ms. Alkine. We have more important questions to ask right now.”

“What could be more important than your favorability rating?”

Ignoring Alkine’s protests, Celia asked with an incredibly fierce gaze.

“Can you see favorability ratings for other people too?”

“…That is important.”

Even with such an overwhelming number, that’s what she cares about?

No, perhaps it’s precisely because of that high number that it matters more.

Either way, I didn’t need to be flustered by Celia’s question.

I had already checked this separately.

I had tried scanning several characters who had favorability ratings in the game, but none of them showed any ratings.

Knowing this result, I simply shook my head in denial.

“Phew, that’s a relief. I was briefly worried about how to handle it if others had ratings too.”

“Thank goodness…”

Both women sighed in relief at my denial. It gave me a strange feeling.

By the way… there are already two of them, and it seems they’d find it troublesome if the number increased.

Ah, I’m not saying I want more. These two are already more than enough—wanting more would just make me trash.

That’s when Alkine suddenly became curious.

“…But what do you mean by ‘handle it’? Celia, what were you planning to do?”

“You know what I mean, why ask?”

“I really don’t know, that’s why I’m asking… Anyway, are you really at 59?”

“If you’re asking about my favorability rating, yes, that’s correct.”

Hearing Celia’s calm response, Alkine let out an incredulous sigh.

She was thinking: her heart was racing at just 18 points, so how much must Celia like me at 59?

More importantly, if she likes me that much, why did she allow me to confess? Is she crazy?

That’s what her sigh implied, and the perceptive Celia seemed to catch it immediately.

“Let me say this again. I never handed Ludion over to you, Ms. Alkine. I just allowed you to be by his side, so don’t misunderstand.”

“I know. I can tell just by looking at your number.”

“It’s certainly convenient when my true feelings are objectified as numbers in situations like this.”

Don’t find convenience in something like that.

After briefly exchanging such words, the conversation soon returned to its original flow.

“Anyway… Ludion now knows our favorability ratings.”

“…Yes. I think I understand why he apologized.”

“Just to check, when did yours activate, Ms. Alkine?”

“The day before yesterday. When Ludion came to rescue me.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“When did yours activate?”

“Mine was a while ago. When was it…”

After discussing their Favorability System with each other… they turned their attention back to me.

They just stared without asking questions, but what they wanted was clear.

I carefully revealed how I felt about their favorability… their feelings.

“Honestly, I’m grateful. Having two people who like me is amazing. It’s a burden, but it makes me incredibly happy.”

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.

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“I consider it all my karma. There are things I’ve done until now. But I was sincere in all of it, and even if I could turn back time, I’d act exactly the same way. So I have no regrets.”

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.

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“So… even if I can’t make the first move, I definitely won’t run away.”

That was the conclusion I finally reached after rambling for quite a while.

Pressure? Responsibility? I ended up talking nonsense due to some indescribable feeling, but at least I didn’t lie.

…But now that I’ve spoken seriously, it’s suddenly embarrassing.

In truth, situations like this don’t come along often unless you deliberately create them.

Especially these kinds of ticklish atmospheres.

So until now, I had been keeping my distance by not creating such atmospheres… but seeing Celia’s soaring favorability, it doesn’t seem to have been very effective.

Anyway, I had tried to prevent situations like this.

Setting aside how awkward serious atmospheres are… as I just concluded, I couldn’t immediately change my attitude toward them.

‘The conclusion I just reached was basically a declaration that I’d continue this ambiguous relationship.’

I can’t actively pursue them.

It’s not because I dislike them. On the contrary, it’s because I like them.

They were important characters in the game whom I had grown fond of.

Even if it was in a game, I have memories of forming parties with them, solving incidents, and overcoming hardships together.

To be honest… they were among my favorite characters.

How could I dislike them when they’ve become real?

But that’s precisely why I couldn’t actively pursue them.

If I responded with half-hearted feelings, I’d only be taking advantage of their affection.

I didn’t want to comfortably settle for their feelings toward me.

…I’ve made it sound grand, but the truth is I’m just a coward.

Of course, their young age is still a factor… but that concern has gradually become less burdensome.

While I was thinking this, Celia and Alkine just kept silently staring at me.

Wondering if I should say something more, I was about to add a few words when Celia interrupted to stop me.

“That’s enough. That’s sufficient.”

“I agree. It’s not like I confessed expecting anything from you.”

They seemed to accept my wish to maintain our current relationship.

“I told you from the beginning. I’ll wait until Ludion approaches me himself. I regret it now, but if that’s your mindset… I can keep waiting.”

“You’re answering so seriously that I’m embarrassed. You know what? My favorability just rose to 19.”

They seemed to not just accept but view it positively… which gave me a strange feeling.

I wasn’t sure whether to feel grateful or sorry.

As I remained speechless, Celia stepped in to smoothly wrap up the conversation.

“And there’s no need to apologize for discovering our favorability ratings. I’ve been hiding it, but that was because I was worried you’d feel burdened. From my perspective, it’s actually better this way.”

“I was only surprised at first, but I don’t mind either.”

Just like that, they brushed off the fact that I could see their favorability ratings.

Perhaps after accepting that I could read thoughts, seeing favorability ratings might have seemed insignificant.

And so, my time of apology finally ended.

Just as I was feeling relieved that everything had gone well, Celia started muttering something with a bright smile.

“Now that he knows how much I like him, I can be more aggressive from now on.”

What did she say? I couldn’t hear it… but judging from Alkine’s reaction, she definitely said something concerning.

Feeling a chill down my spine, I cautiously prayed that Alkine would act as a restraint on Celia.